Penalty of Death
by Story Writing Guy
Summary: The Rowdyruff Boys are put on death row, and Brick has to find a way out of it. But since everyone who would help them is already in jail, he only has one other option. And he doesn't like it at all.


**Wow, I haven't written anything other than short stories in a while...sorry.**

Brick's POV...

Hatred was all I felt. It was the only emotion I could make sense of. Nothing else mattered to me, not even the current situation I was in. I sat, alone, in the corner of a small, cold jail cell. My brothers were kept in different cells to "decrease the chances of escaping." I honestly didn't care where they were. There was only one person I could focus on at the moment. She was a redhead who wore a ribbon in her hair. She was leader of the Powerpuff Girls, and the reason I was in Jail. She was Blossom Utonium, my arch-enemy. Just saying her name was enough to make me boil with anger.

"Blossom..." I whispered, almost trying to enrage myself. I didn't know why, but a part of me actually enjoyed being mad at her, and I had every right to. She had been the source of all my problems ever since I was created. I wanted to bust out of my cell right then and there, and go kill her with my bare hands. But I couldn't. The idiots of Townsville were actually getting smarter. Before they locked up me and my brothers, they doused us with Antidote X. My anger led me to believe it was Blossom's idea to do that. I hate her so much.

Suddenly, before my anger reached its peak, I heard footsteps approaching my cell. my first thought was that Blossom was coming to laugh at me being in jail. Standing, I prepared myself to face her. I was surprised when the footsteps stopped in front of the cell next to mine. The one containing Boomer. I could hear a man's voice, so I realized it couldn't be Blossom. He was whispering, so I couldn't tell what he was saying. I pressed my head against the bars of my cell, desperately trying to hear him. However, instead I heard something a little more unexpected. Boomer shouting.

"What! You can't just do that to us!"

"Shut up!" The unknown man said, angrily. "You and your brothers have caused too much trouble! This is the only logical solution." Boomer was silent after that, and my curiosity only increased. Finally, he stepped in front of my cell, and I got a good look at him. He was wearing a black suit and black shades, which I somehow knew he was glaring behind.

"Who the heck are you?" I asked, keeping my eyes locked on his.

"That's none of your concern," He calmly stated, infuriating me. "Brick Jojo, I'm sure you're aware that you're one of the most hated villains in Townsville." My glare turned into a smirk.

"Of course I'm aware of it. I worked hard to become the villain I am today."

"I'm sure you did," He said, starting to smirk himself. I stared at him for a second.

"...What are you smirking about?" I asked, not liking where this conversation was starting to go.

"I'm sure it took you a while to become so hated by everyone, but was it worth it?" What was with this guy?

"Of course it was! Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, I was talking to the Mayor a while ago, and it turns out he hates you just as much as everyone else."

"So? He's an idiot." I crossed my arms, waiting for him to explain.

"Yes, he is an idiot, which is why I was able to convince him to, instead of just leaving you to rot in jail, just give you the death penalty." I gasped, making him laugh slightly. The death penalty? They were going to kill me?

"Wait, I'm too young for the death penalty!"

"Yes, normally someone your age would be considered too young for it, but the world hates you, Brick. Everybody wants you dead, and now it's finally going to happen." Without even letting me respond, he walked to the next cell, the one Butch was in. I just couldn't believe what was happening. I never thought I'd get the death penalty...if I died, I thought it would be by the hands of my counterpart. At least when I fought her I could retreat before I died, but now there was no way to avoid death...

At that moment, I heard Butch shouting about how unfair this was. Yep...he didn't like it any more than I did. Despite the fact that Blossom didn't have anything to do with it, I still wanted to blame it on her. She did put me in jail, but if it were up to her, would she have wanted me to die like this? Probably.

Hours went by, and all I could think about was my death. The dude didn't even tell me when it would be, or how it would be done. At any moment, a guy could come to my cell and tell me "It's time..." That would be so creepy. I had to find a way out of there, but without my powers I couldn't do anything! Then, it hit me...criminals had the right to make one phone call. I looked around, quickly spotting a guard passing by. This was perfect.

"Hey, guard dude!" I shouted. "I wanna make my one phone call!" He looked at me, then sighed as he unlocked my cell. He never took his eyes off me, and even handcuffed me to be safe. As we made our way to the telephone, I thought about who I would call. _Should I call Mojo?_ I thought._ No, he's in jail. Him? Oh wait, he was arrested last week. Princess? Yeah, I'll call her! I'll just lie and say we'll let her join us if she-_ My thoughts were interrupted as I saw a cop taking Princess, handcuffed, to a cell. _...Ok, I can't call her, but what about..._ I tried to think of another villain who would and could do it. After a while, I realized that all the ones who could were in jail. My plan was ruined!

We reached the phone, and I knew I had to call someone. Anyone. But everyone who could bust me out of jail was locked up. There was nobody left who could help me! Then, suddenly, I got an idea...it was so crazy that I didn't think it would work. But I was out of options. I had to do something...or die. Grabbing the phone, I slowly began to dial the...Powerpuff Girls's number. I only knew it because of a time me and my brothers decided to prank call them.

As soon as I finished dialing, I mentally slapped myself for actually trying this. What was I supposed to say? "They're going to kill me, so you should come save me?" Not only would it be pathetic, but it also made no sense for me to call my enemies for help. When I heard their phone begin to ring, I began thinking about which one of them would answer. I was almost praying that it wouldn't be Blossom. There's no way she'd be any use to me. _What about Butch's counterpart? _I thought. _What was her name...Buttercup! Maybe she would- _I stopped myself, when I remembered that she hated me and my brothers even more than Blossom did. She would probably just laugh at me.

_Wait, what about the third Powerpuff? _I asked myself, trying to remember her name before someone answered. I almost never noticed her when I fought her sister. The only two puffs I really knew anything about were Blossom and Buttercup. They were easy to notice. Finally, I was able to remember her name, and then it hit me who she was. Memories of her capturing me and Butch flooded my mind. Memories of her dressing up as Boomer, and actually being a lot cooler than him. Her name was-

"Hello? This is Bubbles Utonium." Bubbles...I was so deep in thought that I forgot to respond. "...Hello? Is anyone there?" I snapped back into reality, and quickly spoke.

"Um, hey..." How would she respond to me calling her? If she told anyone that she was talking to me, my plan would be ruined. I had to find a way to get her to set me free, without her family finding out.

"...Who is this?" She asked, cautiously. She must have recognized my voice, but wasn't completely sure if it was really me.

"It's Brick, but I-"

"Brick? The leader of the Rowdyruff Boys?" She interrupted me. I had to calm her down, before one of her sisters heard her.

"Calm down, I'm not calling to make any death threats or anything like that." I really wanted to, though. I wanted to tell her to come get me out of jail, or I'd kill everyone she loved. But that's not how Powerpuffs work.

"Then what do you want?" How was I supposed to tell her what I wanted her to do? I began brainstorming all the different ways I could say it, trying to find the one that made the most sense.

"Um...well...you see, everyone's gotten tired of me and my brothers always causing trouble," So far so good. "...They've decided to kill us. I don't know when it'll be, but...um...could you come and try to talk them out of it?" I couldn't simply tell her I wanted to get out of jail. If she agreed, I'd talk her into busting me out when she arrived. I waited for her reply, hoping she would say yes. About a mintute went by, and she said nothing. "Bubbles?" I said, then I heard something that crushed my plans.

Blossom's voice. I could faintly hear her and Bubbles discussing my situation. I knew exactly what was going to happen. Blossom would tell Bubbles that me dying was for the best, and then she'd tell me she couldn't do anything. Why does Blossom always ruin everything? I could have just hung up, since I knew my plan was going to fail. Why did I even think it wouldn't?

"Blossom wants to talk to you," Bubbles finally said, finishing her conversation with her sister. I sighed angrily.

"Fine." I waited for my worst enemy to speak. I really didn't want to talk to her, but I now knew for a fact that I was going to die. I had nothing to lose.

"Brick?" She said, as if trying to clarify that it was me. But she didn't let me answer. "Bubbles told me that you're going to be executed. I'm not sure whether that's true, or just a lie to get us to feel bad for you, but either way we're not going to help you. You're one of the worst villains in Townsville. You deserve this." I didn't say anything. What was there for me to say? I was going to die. This was the end, and I blamed it all on Blossom. She defeated me, threw me in jail, and then destroyed my only hope for survival.

"Hurry up!" Said the guard, standing a few feet away from me. I decided there was nothing else I could do. I was dead. But, before I could hang up, I heard Bubbles's voice again.

"Blossom said I can't help you." I glared, and my grip on the phone tightened.

"I know! She told me!" I shouted, almost immediately regretting it. I knew Blossom must have heard it, and could picture her smirking at my anger.

"...I'm sorry," Bubbles said. My eyes widened slightly, in confusion.

"Wait, what?"

"I'm sorry I can't help you." ...What the heck? A Powerpuff Girl was apologizing to me, the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys? I didn't know what to say. Then, suddenly, I was filled with pure rage. I don't even know why, but it was uncontrollable. I shut my eyes tightly, trying to hold it in, but I couldn't. It all came bursting out of me.

" I hate you stupid Powerpuff Girls!" I shouted, hurling the phone into the wall. I turned to the guard, glaring forcefully. "Take me back to my stupid cell..." I could tell that, despite being a trained guard, he was a little scared. Probably because he was so used to me having powers. He did as I said, and took me back. As I passed Boomer's cell, he looked at me, as if trying to silently ask me what we were going to do. I think my hard glare was enough to tell him there was nothing we could do. His gaze turned towards the ground as he lost all hope. As soon as I was in my cell, I sat in the corner again, but not before aggressively flipping over my rather small bed. I felt like an animal being put down because of his behavior problems.

For the rest of the day all I did was sulk in my anger. Even when it was nighttime, I refused to sleep. All I could think about was when I was going to die. Would it be tomorrow? Next week? In an hour? I had no idea. I wondered if my brothers were this upset about what was going to happen. Boomer was probably sulking like me, but maybe in fear instead of anger. He was always the weak one.

Butch was the tough one, and I was surprised that he wasn't still yelling out his anger. He had stopped a lot sooner than I thought he would. Maybe he was just as scared of death as Boomer probably was. I sighed, closing my eyes, and resting my head on my arms. At that moment, I heard someone tapping the bars of my cell. I froze, realizing that this could've been it. This could be the executioner. I was almost afraid to look up. What if he had a gun, and was going to shoot me the second I look at him? If only I had my powers!

"Brick?" A familiar voice said. I gasped, quickly lifting my head up to see who it was. I almost gasped a second time.

"...Bubbles?" I said, unable to believe it was her. She was holding what looked like a purple octopus. "You came?" She nodded, smiling. "But didn't Blossom say you couldn't?" After I said that, she diverted her eyes away from me.

"Well, yeah but...I've thought about it, and I don't think you and your brothers deserve to die. Nobody does, because life is the most important thing you'll ever have." She unconsciously cradled her toy octopus as she spoke, which gave me an idea.

"Yeah, you're right...they don't have the right to kill me, no matter how evil I am. Life is valuable." She smiled, thinking I understood how she felt. Well, in a way, I kinda did. Killing people for committing crimes is kinda messed up. I think the worst punishment should be life in prison. "I can't thank you enough for coming to help me," I lied. "You're really um...sweet," I said, slightly disgusted by my last word.

"Aww, thanks, Brick," She said, completely believing my lies. I couldn't believe it was so easy. It was time for me to bust out...

"Hey, can you come over here? I need to show you something." She hesitated a little, but took a few steps closer to the cell bars. My fake smile turned into a smirk, as I swiftly snatched her toy. I stepped away from the bars, so she couldn't get it back.

"Octi!" She shouted, and I laughed.

"That's right, I got your baby toy! Now you're going to bust me and my brothers out, or I'll destroy it."

"But...but..." I ripped a tiny hole in it to show her I was serious, making her gasp. "Ok, ok! I'll do it!" Without another word, she pried the bars on my cell open. Then Butch's and Boomer's. "There, you're out, now can I please have Octi back?" She asked, desperately.

"Not yet," I said. "First you're going to escort us away from this jail. Then when our powers come back, you can have it back. Now punch a hole in the wall!" She did what I said, but obviously didn't want to. I climbed through the hole followed by my brothers, both of them snickering. Luckily, since nobody saw us escape, there was no resistance. We walked for about half an hour, to make sure they wouldn't find us. I watched Bubbles the whole time, making sure she didn't try anything. It was funny that the only thing making her do what I said was a stupid toy.

Then, it happened. My strength started increasing, and my senses heightened. My powers were coming back! I excitedly ascended into the air, with my brothers following close behind.

"Our powers are back!" Boomer shouted.

"We're not weaklings anymore!" Butch said. It felt so good to float around, after all the time we spent in jail. We prepared to fly away, but Bubbles stopped us.

"Wait, what about Octi?"

"Oh, yeah...Octi..." I said, getting an evil smile. My brothers began snickering again, knowing I had a plan for what to do with the toy. "If you want it so bad...fetch!" I shouted, throwing the thing as far away as I could. Bubbles's eyes widened, before she went after it. My brothers and I laughed in unison. The toy was heading for a small puddle of mud. Unfortunately, she caught it before it landed.

"Aww, I wanted to see it hit the mud," Butch said.

"Forget the mud," I said, glaring slightly at him. "Lets just get out of here." We flew into the air, ready to make a clean get away.

"Brick!" Bubbles suddenly shouted, making me look at her. "You lied to me! You made me sneak out of my house to help you! And you threatened to hurt Octi!" She said, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Well, duh!" I responded. "I'm a Rowdyruff Boy. What did you expect?" I then began laughing at her, hysterically. I wasn't just laughing about the fact that I tricked her. Also because I wasn't gonna die, and she was definitely going to be in trouble for releasing me. It was all too perfect!

But suddenly, I felt something impact my face. It sent me flying back so fast. I didn't know what happened, but the pain was immense. Before I knew it, I was on the ground. I lifted my hand to feel my face, and when I looked at it I saw blood. Then I knew exactly what had happened. Bubbles punched me. Then I saw something that surprised me even more. She was standing in front of me, but the look on her face was one of pure anger. Her tears were gone.

"What the heck...?" Was all I could say. I was looking at a side of her I never knew existed. She had the same look I get when Blossom defeats me. The look that means "The next person who messes with me dies." As I stared at her, I felt like I was looking at myself.

"Look!" Butch said, pointing at the sky. I could see the other two Powerpuffs coming towards us. "They must have found out we escaped!"

"We gotta get out of here!" Boomer shouted, before he and Butch began flying away. I quickly stood up, and followed them. There was no way I was going back to jail. As we left the area, I glanced back at Bubbles. She was now crying as her sisters attempted to comfort her. I couldn't believe it. She went from cry baby to brute to cry baby again, all in under five minutes. She was so...unbelievable. Nothing about her made sense. Sometimes she seems weak and innocent, but other times she captures you, and punches you. I decided not to think about it, as we made our escape. She was just a puff...and not even my counterpart.

**Sorry for not writing any real stories in a while.**


End file.
